The Search for A Deeper Blue
by Rogue Sprite
Summary: She stepped into the room knowing that she was born to a fate made of power and magic. She saw into her own future, and chose the path she will take to renew the realm: hard and full of pain. She really had no other choice, being born a fae.


A/N: I'm going to go ahead and say that this chapter has been long awaited by my readers. The drabbles that spurred me to make this into a story is in my website, so if you want to go ahead and read that, go ahead. This doesn't have much. The story isn't even in view yet, but it does introduce the moment that the heroine develops into something greater than what she was in past drabbles. Enjoy the figurative language, that's all you're really going to get from this chapter. 

* * *

**The Search for A Deeper Blue: Chapter 1**

He swallowed to free his throat and so that he could start breathing again. The sight of her was breathtaking. Gingerly she walked down the spiral stairs, the soft click of her heels echoing in the Hall of Gems. Here she was, the fae-princess of the land, the prophesied almighty queen, the lineage bearer of magic.

She was a once-in-a-century miracle. A long sought-after treasure of their land. To the outside world, what more is another spoiled girl in the world of kings, queens, duchesses, and grand dukes, but to the people of their kingdom, another princess meant something much more.

A war? Maybe. Conquest? Possibly. Wealth? Most probably. (The princesses were well known for their generosity.) 

Adventure? Inevitably.

And somehow, it always begins with their nineteenth birthday. The princess's debut.

She walked in regal beauty, claiming all the legal and obvious birth right she had—all the while humbly keeping her eyes to the few steps before her, never meeting anyone's expectant gaze. She wore all black : black skirts, black bodice, black heels, black ribbon. Once she reached the bottom stairs, the candles started to waver and dim low. One by one, they fluttered and died silently around her, until a single candle, the one she held cautiously in her hands, stood to shine in the great hall. Then it too died.

And for a room that was full of peasants and gentry, it hardly differed from an empty cave, long forgotten, for it breathed nary a sound. 

"Give me… blue." She whispered.

A spark of light from where she last stood was all the warning the room received. 

Lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating the glass hall windows, and terrifying thunder rolled outside, but none made a sound. And as illumination became more and more frequent with the anger of the lightning, the spark of light began to grow, and those closest saw that it in fact came from that one last candle. Suddenly the room was luminous with white light from each and every candle, sporting a bright blue light like the one she held. 

"A deeper blue, if you please."

Her whisper was heard by all, and they all held their breath. The hall darkened once again.

This time it took quite some time for the light to manifest. It seemed to swirl from every nook of the room, sliver of dark blue light passing from the walls, through people, and into a dark blue mass at the center where she was last seen. The light was not the right hue to see by, but it reflected in the gloss of her eyes. She hosted an eerie portrait of a fragile girl, with innocent eyes, holding so much power in her delicate hands. She hoisted the mass above her head, the light spilled between her fingers and shone on chandeliers and miscellaneous gems around the room. She smiled and whispered something barely audible, but the thunder started once again, drowning her words. With the third thunder-strike, all the lights lit up with an intense blue light and in the very center of the room, a cloud of smoke began to envelop her.

Finally the cloud wafted away, and everything around her became calm. The people had been still throughout the whole affair, but if it made a difference, the sight of her made him breathe a little easier.

She emerged.

The black dress was gone. Instead she was garbed in a simple sleeveless slip of dark blue silk, her hair covering her bare shoulders. The hem touched her calves, and flowed like water, though she moved not. The design on it made him blink twice. When the dress moved by some sort of invincible force, the stars on the dress didn't. In fact, a couple would disappear from his vision, as if the dress itself was a window to nighttime sky. He sized her up, from toe to head, filling his eyes with her, scrutinizing each limb and inch of skin. He ended at her eyes, which crinkled in amusement as she met his protective glare. Once again they closed and took her first step as fae-princess. Gliding on the floor on air.

A large applause erupted in the great hall and the party began. Outside, rain poured, ending the yearly drought of the kingdom with a cacophony of sounds that was similar to the applause of heavens.

For the rest of the night, people from every corner of the land stole glances at the princess, and when they did, they couldn't help but become lighthearted, because she was ready to meet their gaze with a beautiful smile.

* * *

When she finally slept, she dreamt. She twisted in her sheets as her father and brother kneeled by her bedside. Her father held one hand in his and the brother had put the left to his lips, incessantly whispering to her words of comfort and calm. She muttered words and screamed in her sleep. Her body would sometimes jolt into the air, and if it weren't for her brother and father, she would have fallen off completely. Pain in her voice, she whispered nonsensical things.

Every fae-princess dreams of their destiny on that first night. And with their destiny, their pain. And with their pain, their death. 

At the corner of the room, he stood. Knowing that he would die first before he let any of her dreams become true for her. He was hers to command, but she was his to love and die for, no matter what.

Not even she could change that.


End file.
